Another clean sheet, another good result for Liverpool Football Club. Yesterday saw the return of many of Jürgen Klopp’s side as the former Southampton players were back at St. Marys.
With a strong 2-0 win to Liverpool, the Reds kept their 4th clean sheet in their last ten Premier League game, the same as league leaders Manchester City.
Therefore, for this Man of the Match award the winner is goalkeeper Loris Karius. The German keeper has made the number 1 spot his own in recent weeks with some solid performances.
The goalkeeper, who arrived from Mainz 05 in 2015, struggled with injuries and form when he first joined the Merseyside team. But in recent weeks, the keeper who admitted to being friends with Justin Bieber, has found a bit of confidence between the sticks.
Whether this has come from the arrival of the assured centre-back Virgil van Dijk or the public backing and belief from his manager, Jürgen Klopp, the performances of the Liverpool keeper have picked up.
He kept a clean sheet in the game against Huddersfield, put in a decent performance against Tottenham, saving a penalty, and now another clean sheet against Southampton.
Karius was crucial in the first half, making good saves from a Southampton side that showed attacking intent. Although Mauricio Pellegrino’s side weren’t as good in the second half, Karius stopped the Saints taking the lead many times. A good save from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, when he anticipated the ball would fall to the Danish midfielder and a decent reaction save from James Ward Prowse, kept Liverpool in front and allowed his side to return to 3rd place in the league.
The solid display was also down to the assured defensive qualities of Van Dijk. The defender has grown more into the Liverpool shirt in every game since his big-money move and is looking like he stabilizes the defence he is such a vital member of. The Dutchman played with a smirk on his face, silencing the fans of his former team with every controlling tackle, header and interception he made.
The usual stars shone as well. Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino linked up expertly. They just know where each other are on the pitch. The first goal was scored by one and made by the other and the second goal was also scored by one, made by the other.
Bobby’s goal was class due to Salah not even looking for his partner, but somehow finding him. Salah’s goal was all about the slick one-two and Firmino’s cheeky flick, they are both incredible footballers.
However, Karius was excellent and without him the points may have stayed in Southampton.